RBD, Mary J. Blige, Lupe Fiasco and Mario.

the music press

thu 12/27/2007

A collage of RBD, Mary J. Blige, Lupe Fiasco and Mario.

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Mexican pop sextet RBD returns with Empezar Desde Cero, their fifth studio album. A year after releasing Celestial, a huge commercial success, Blog De La Tele asks: "[d]oes RBD need to start from scratch?" The blog thinks not, suggesting the pop group should now focus on "conquering the international market." Don't read too much into the title, 'cause the rebels “are simply back with more pop tunes in the key of teenage crush," writes Rhapsody.com.
R&B diva Mary J. Blige delivers her eighth album, the edgy Growing Pains. Rolling Stone notices that Blige “has definitely lost or just outgrown the brassy urgency of her twenties," underscoring that "these days, [her confessions] sound more like she's had a lot of therapy." The Village Voice is more cynical, wishing Blige would just "shut up for a while and luxuriate—and we know she understands what that word means—in the gorgeousness of a voice that's as full and declamatory as ever."
Chicago's Lupe Fiasco is back with his second album, The Cool. Fiasco's ability to build on "the divergent themes and musical explorations of his impressive debut” earned this album an "A-" from Entertainment Weekly. The Onion's A.V. Club agrees, giving another "A-" to a musical set that “oozes geek chic with terrific songs, smart, dense lyrics, and nimble, eclectic production.”
Mario is back with Go. The 21-year-old R&B singer "pulled out all the big guns for album number three,” showing off a “distinctive voice [that] is earthier and more mature with the underlying power of a young Luther Vandross,” gushes The BBC. Billboard.com is worried about his lack of hits: “While third album Go shows a necessary maturation, the disc is short on standouts.”